Felltop assessor Graham Uney, right, with colleague Jon Bennett

An outdoors instructor is about to start what many view as a dream job – one that involves climbing the equivalent height of Everest in a week.

Mountain Leader Graham Uney was picked from about 100 candidates to be the Lake District’s new felltop assessor, making the ascent to England’s third-highest mountain to report on weather and snow conditions.

The Snowdonia-based mountain man will spend one week on, one week off, alternating with fellow assessor Jon Bennett, each walking to the top of Helvellyn to provide information for walkers and other outdoor enthusiasts for the Lake District National Park Authority’s Weatherline.

The 43-year-old, who is originally from Hull in East Yorkshire, was told he had bagged the job after an interview and half-day on Blencathra with the authority’s hill teams. He said he was ‘really chuffed and quite surprised’ to be offered the post.

He will base himself in the Lake District while undertaking the assessor’s job, which runs from December to Easter and involves taking various routes up the 950m (3,120ft), checking weather, any snowpack conditions, and helping walkers stay safe during the winter.

Mr Bennett, who holds Winter and Summer Mountain Leader Awards and the climbing Single Pitch Award,  starts his stint tomorrow, Friday, with his new colleague taking on the role from 12 December.

The weather reports, including the assessors’ observations, can be seen on the Lake District Weatherline website.